DAILY GRAPHIC, Monday, July 23, 2012, Pg. 11. Let's tap full potential of women in agriculture

Article: Mary Ankrah

The World Bank’s annual World Development Report, 2008 on Agriculture for Development has stated that “where women are the majority of smallholder farmers, failure to realise their full potential in agriculture is a contributory factor to low growth and food insecurity”.

 In spite of the triple role women play as producers and processors on the farm, as workers and as care-givers in the household and in the extended families, they face greater barriers than men to increasing their productivity and income.

 It is acknowledged that women around the world are the primary agents in providing for the wellbeing of their families and communities.



Women farmers they face greater barriers

than men farmers to increasing their productivity and income.

According to the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report of 1985, about 70 per cent of the agricultural workers, 80 per cent of food producers, and 10 per cent of those who process basic foodstuffs are women and they also undertake 60 to 90 per cent of the rural marketing; thus making up more than two-third of the workforce in agricultural production.

The FAO has indicated that while the overall proportion of the economically active population (EAP) working in agriculture declined during the 1990s, the percentage of economically active women working in agriculture at the global level remained nearly 50 per cent as of 2000, with an even higher percentage in developing countries (61 per cent) and in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) having 79 per cent.

 Although FAO projections to 2010 indicate a continued reduction in the overall female participation in agriculture globally, the percentage of economically active women working in agriculture in LDCs projected to remain above 70 per cent. 

However, at the Second International Conference on Women in Agriculture held in Washington, D.C., in 1998, the former Secretary of Agriculture of the United State of America (USA), Dan Glickman, stated “One of the biggest issues facing women farmers is the future of small farmers”, and that is certainly still true today.

The keynote speaker for that conference, Tipper Gore, recognised that the important role of women in agriculture needed to be valued because they contribute to the economics of their households, communities, and the world. Unfortunately, little had changed for female farmers around the world or for their counterparts in Africa, especially Ghana.



It is acknowledged that women are the key to the development of rural areas through their contributions to sustainable agriculture and rural development, including food security, yet they are often marginalised in the agricultural sector, and do not share equal status at the banks or within the agribusiness sector.



Most female farmers in Africa are smallholder farmers. Besides being involved in weeding, transplanting and post-harvest activities, they are involved in agricultural activities ranging from crop farming, agro-processing to animal rearing. Indeed, diversity in agricultural enterprise is a hallmark of women in agriculture.

But, it is sad to note that in Africa, especially Ghana, the typical image of a woman farmer is a woman most often barefoot and working with basic tools with a baby strapped on her back.  Meanwhile the enormous effort made by this woman put food on the tables of many in Ghana and other parts of the world as well.



Statistics shows that women are the key actors of Ghanaian farming, constituting over half the agricultural labour force and producing 70 per cent of the country’s food. Women constitute 95 per cent of those involved in agro-processing and 85 per cent of those in food distribution.

A report of the Food and Agriculture Development Policy Phase II (FASDEP 2), 2009 of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), indicated that agriculture is a critical sector for women.



That, about half (48.7 per cent) of the total female population is self-employed in agriculture, with the majority being engaged in food production.

Despites efforts by MoFA to promote gender mainstreaming in MoFA, through the Gender and Agricultural Development Strategy (GADS) developed in the late 1990’s, implementation of the strategy has not effective since only one production of gender disaggregated data out of the eight policy statements in the GADS of MoFA is operational.

At the staff level, the Women in Agriculture Department (WIAD), which is tasked  with promoting gender mainstreaming, agro-processing and nutrition is the only one out of 12 directorates of MoFA headed by a woman, all the senior extension staff in Accra are males.

Also, there is no specific budget targeting women farmers under the budget of MoFA, apart from the allocation to WIAD. Even so, WIAD budget allocation in 2011 amounted to 0.4 per cent of MoFA’s budget, totalling GH¢867,762.

At a recent forum held by ActionAid Ghana in collaboration with green Earth Organisation, under the theme: “Smallholder Agriculture Sensitive Manifestoes and Party Pledges to Reduce Poverty”, some female farmers who participated complained that gender inequality in the agricultural sector has severely limited their ability to contribute meaningfully to sustainable agricultural growth and development because programmes and projects are not systematically formulated around different needs, interest, roles, responsibilities, status and influence in society of women and men.

They said inaccessibility to credit facilities and lands, poor road network, lack of equipment and irrigation facilities and lack of storage facilities are some of the major challenges facing women farmers.

Speaking at the forum, the Treasure of the Farmer Base Organisation (FBO) in the Upper West Region, Jirapa District, Ms Galyuoni Clarissa, indicated that despite the enormous efforts made by women in agriculture, only two out of 100 female headed households get extension services and one out of the eight policy statements in the gender and agricultural development strategy of MoFa, was operational.

“If all those things are done, there would be sufficient food available throughout the year; food would be less expensive, and we would be able to provide raw materials for industries as a result sustain some income for our household”, she added.

The government need to strengthen the implementation of the Gender and Agriculture Development strategy, including the provision of secured land; extension services and labour-saving agro-processing  equipment; increase public spending to recognise unpaid work of women smallholder farmers and involve them more in decision-making.

On access to credit, the government need to develop subsidised and innovative credit programmes for women farmers and provide resources to support loan guarantee, insurance schemes and savings and credit associations to make it easier for women farmers to obtain loans to increase their productivity.

More so, much of the scientific knowledge and technologies does not reach rural women for various reasons. That needs rectification. Research systems must also seek the inputs of women, as they have historically been the source of much traditional knowledge and innovations. Hence, the government should empower women farmers with new knowledge and skills to bring them into the mainstream of agricultural development and reduce gender disparity.

Women make up two-third of the workforce in agricultural production

In doing all those, the benefits will span generations and pay large dividends in the future, thus, it will attract many young women to go into agriculture.



Certainly, if the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) on gender equality (MDG 3) and poverty and food security (MDG 1) are mutually reinforced, gender equality promoted and women empowered in agriculture, Ghana will win sustainably the fight against poverty especially among women in the rural areas.